After nearly six months away from AEW television, Stokely Hathaway made his return during the April 24th episode of Dynamite. He reemerged alongside Dax Harwood and Cash Wheeler, collectively known as FTR, taking on the role of their manager.

Although Hathaway had been off television for a considerable period, Fightful Select sources revealed that the idea of him managing FTR was not a last-minute creative decision. In fact, discussions about the partnership reportedly date back to the previous year. Before stepping away, Hathaway was subtly portrayed scouting different tag teams, with hints such as him observing an FTR match in the background of one of his vignettes.

Plans shifted temporarily when The Outrunners, Truth Magnum and Turbo Floyd, began connecting with the AEW audience in an unexpected way. Their rising popularity resulted in a change of course, involving FTR in a program with them rather than moving forward with the original Hathaway pairing.

Now, AEW has returned to its initial vision by aligning Hathaway with FTR. An additional update to note is that AEW's official talent roster has been adjusted, with Hathaway now listed under the single name 'Stokely,' dropping his last name.

Stokely Hathaway with a slight name change pic.twitter.com/Dv8qnit9g3

, Andrew Ravens l WrestlingNews.co (@Andrew_Ravens) April 28, 2025